


erased

by voksen



Category: Death Note
Genre: Canonical Character Death, Comment Fic, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-06-03
Updated: 2009-06-03
Packaged: 2017-10-28 09:47:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 398
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/306572
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/voksen/pseuds/voksen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Prompt was "any female character, Erased by Vixy & Tony"</p>
            </blockquote>





	erased

There's no time to mourn when she sees the flames crackling up the walls of the church, though she knows immediately what has happened. Her job comes first, as it always has - _if it hadn't, might things have been different?_ \- so she turns away again immediately, running for her car, her laptop, her connection to Near.

She knows Near was important to Mello; she thinks, in his own odd, cold way, Near valued Mello as well. It's compassion, some kind of strange attempt at reaching out, that makes her say _I'm sorry_. _I'm so sorry. If I had known, if there was anything I could have done to keep him alive..._ But there's no time for guilt, either, so instead what she says, stumbling over her words like Gevanni, is: "I'm so sorry... I didn't imagine that Mello would..." and it's not enough, not at all what she means.

Near's response steals her breath away, makes her sure for a split second that Kira has found her name as well as Mello's: "No, it's fine."

She's never heard such a blatant lie in her life.

"The problem is solved. As long as Yagami Light doesn't make a change in our plans to meet, then everything is fine." Near's voice is as cool, as disaffected as still water, but her mind is still full of the burning church.

She wants to tell him _It's not fine, Mello is dead, I understand, I loved him too._ But that's unprofessional and foolish - and perhaps she's only projecting after all. "I understand," she says, clipping back the rest of it and shoving it back to mix with the grief and guilt and the ache of already missing Mello's sunfire presence.

  
Three days later, she finds herself in Gevanni's arms - strong and male, but too gentle, too giving. She sits up in his bed, runs her hands through her hair, and sighs.

He leans up on one arm and touches her bare thigh, his fingers too long, too tan, callused by pen as well as gun. "Halle," he says softly, pulling her gaze to him. His eyes have none of Mello's willful passion; they're dark and sad and have all the understanding she'd once thought to find in Near.

"Stephen," she answers, testing the feel of it on her lips, in her mouth; it tastes bitter, but leaves no ashes on her tongue.

**Author's Note:**

>  _Creatures made of water to the ocean must return  
>  Creatures made of sunlight don't intend it when they burn  
> But your eyes were never used to so much gazing out to sea  
> And you'd rather sink in shadows than think anymore of me_


End file.
